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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27189994">I Put a Spell on You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf'>WhiteravenGreywolf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>New Mutants High School AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The New Mutants (2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, But then again everything involving Roberto and Illyana usually is, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Halloween Ball, Halloween Costumes, Secret Relationship, Sort Of, it's complicated - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 04:13:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,312</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27189994</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteravenGreywolf/pseuds/WhiteravenGreywolf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Roberto is nervous about asking Illyana to the school's Halloween Ball. Maybe it's time that they clarify their relationship status because Roberto is very confused.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Roberto da Costa/Illyana Rasputin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>New Mutants High School AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984816</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I Put a Spell on You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey guys! The long-awaited Magikspot story is here! It's a sequel to "Paperback", in that sense that some details from Paperback are mentioned in the story, but I don't think you need to have read it to understand. Or maybe just go read Paperback if you haven't, it's a nice fluffy story too.<br/>So I just realized yesterday that I'm going to be extremely busy during the next week - which was supposed to be a week off to relax, mind you - and I'm probably gonna die of stress before Christmas... This morning I thought "let's be quick and write this short story, people will be happy and then you can move on to the other things you have to do..." And then I spent the entire morning writing this story, it is spectacularly good if I do say so myself, and I hope you enjoy it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Roberto was seating in a corner of the cafeteria, staring at the booth near the exit. His friends had left what felt like an eternity ago. He had told them it was just a matter of minutes before he followed, just the time for him to finish his lunch. He knew that by now they would begin to worry.</p>
<p><br/>The booth was manned by two kids from the students' council he didn't know. A large paper streamer was hung on the wall behind the table, announcing the school's Halloween ball. They were selling tickets. Roberto wanted tickets so badly. But he also feared that if he bought two tickets, and gave one to Illyana, she wouldn't want to go with him. Maybe she even already had her ticket? He thought his last idea stupid. Illyana didn't buy tickets to the school's events, she sneaked through the back door and pretended she'd gone through the front door like everyone else.</p>
<p><br/>Roberto's knee was bouncing nervously. He had been hesitating for an entire week now. He knew that in any case, he needed to buy his ticket, but he didn't want to feel foolish buying one and then having to buy another one later, should Illyana agree to come with him. On the other hand, he didn't want to have a spare ticket with him.</p>
<p><br/>Still nowhere close to an answer to his problem, Roberto stood up, frustrated. He picked up his plastic tray and his bag, threw the strap across his shoulder, and left the table. Once he'd left his tray over a pile of them, he made his way to the exit. His feet seemed to stop suddenly in front of the booth. He looked at all the tacky paper decorations, the leaflets of tickets yet to be sold. As he looked up, his eyes met one of the booth's attendants, and he knew it was a grave mistake.</p>
<p><br/>"Would you like tickets for the ball?" the girl asked.</p>
<p><br/>"Er... sure?"</p>
<p><br/>He stepped closer to the booth, jittering nervously.</p>
<p><br/>"It's five dollars for a ticket but you don't have to bring your own food," the girl explained as she picked up a leaflet.</p>
<p><br/>Roberto cleared his throat.</p>
<p><br/>"Yeah, hm... can I get two?"</p>
<p><br/>"Sure thing. Ten dollars, please."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto was quick to pass over a single trembling bill. The girl handed him his tickets, and he walked off with a hurried 'thanks' tumbling past his lips.</p>
<p><br/>He made his way through the corridors. The whole school had been decorated for the ball already. Big colorful posters advertised the various student bands which would come to play and admonished the students to come to the ball in their scariest costumes. Small paper pumpkins had been hung on the ceiling, and fake cobwebs plastered the walls above the lockers, high enough that no one could pull them off for their own use.</p>
<p><br/>Roberto stared at the tickets in his hands. They were an ugly green, the black ink on them barely decipherable. His heart clenched nervously at the sight of the tickets. What had he done?</p>
<hr/>
<p>Roberto reached the door leading down to the club room on autopilot. He only pulled out of his thoughts when it came time to walk down the stairs. The club room was ajar, and he heard laughing from inside. When he walked in, he found Illyana seating behind the computer, as usual, working on editing their movie. Sam, Dani, and Rahne were seating around one of their tiny sets, talking. They were almost done shooting their short film, but the last few sets needed to be finished before they could continue.</p>
<p><br/>"Hey, where were you?" Rahne asked as Roberto walked into the room and closed the door behind him.</p>
<p><br/>"Finishing my lunch," he said with a frown as if there could be another answer.</p>
<p><br/>Illyana stretched her arms and stood up, picking up her bag.</p>
<p><br/>"Take over, I have to go to class."</p>
<p><br/>She walked past him and gave him a look. That look. It was like an intense kiss in the rain. It hurt Roberto's heart so much, but in a good, lightening sort of way. Every time it made him want to pull her back to him and kiss her fiercely. Every time she was already gone before he could snap out her spell. Roberto swallowed thickly and went to sit by the computer. He was still holding the tickets in his hand. He went through his bag, looking for his wallet, to store the tickets safely away.</p>
<p><br/>"What's that?" Rahne asked because nothing ever evaded her.</p>
<p><br/>"Nothing," Roberto replied quickly.</p>
<p><br/>Sam and Dani looked his way, and Sam said:</p>
<p><br/>"Tickets for the ball?"</p>
<p><br/>"Well, yeah, you have to have a ticket to get in, don't you?"</p>
<p><br/>"Yeah, but two tickets..." Sam trailed off.</p>
<p><br/>There was a moment of silence and Roberto tried to focus on his work, hoping the others would let it go. Dani didn't.</p>
<p><br/>"Are you gonna ask Illyana to go to the dance with you?"</p>
<p><br/>"Why? Are you gonna make fun of me?"</p>
<p><br/>"No, I just think it's romantic."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto bit his upper lip. There lied his entire problem. It was romantic. And Illyana was anything but romantic. If she wanted to go to the ball, she would go to the ball. She didn't need some idiot inviting her to it.</p>
<p><br/>"Are you guys going?" he asked as if to distract himself from his predicament.</p>
<p><br/>"It's an all you can eat buffet for five bucks," Sam replied.</p>
<p><br/>The girls nodded along.</p>
<p><br/>"What are you going to dress up as?" Roberto asked as he looked back at what he still needed to edit.</p>
<p><br/>"I got this old wolf costume I found lying around," Rahne said with a vague shrug.</p>
<p><br/>"A friend lent me their old Winnie the Pooh costume," Dani said.</p>
<p><br/>Sam finished gluing the piece he had in his hands with care before he answered:</p>
<p><br/>"I cobbled together a few things to make an old-timey pilot uniform, we'll see how that goes."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto nodded and tried to focus on his work. Sam asked:</p>
<p><br/>"What about you?"</p>
<p><br/>"Er... I don't know yet."</p>
<p><br/>"Illyana said she was going to be dressed as a demon," Dani said with a smile, her voice trailing off suggestively.</p>
<hr/>
<p>They had a date just about a week before the ball. When Roberto parked his car on the side of the road, just beside Illyana's, he saw the blonde seating on the trunk of a tree toppled by excessive rain. She seemed deep in thoughts and didn't move until Roberto had left his car and walked up to her. She stood up then. Roberto tried for a charming smile, but the nervousness in his chest twisted it into a slight if amusing grimace.</p>
<p><br/>"Hi. Have you been waiting long?"</p>
<p><br/>"If I'd been waiting for too long I would have left already," she said.</p>
<p><br/>She began walking through the woods, on the trail leading up into the hills. Roberto walked as close to her as the path allowed, sometimes beside her and sometimes right behind her. He watched her attentively. There was something absolutely fascinating about Illyana in the woods, away from everything and everyone else but him. She melted. Illyana, the supposed ice queen of the school, considered as warm as an iceberg, was melting. The longer she stayed in here, the warmer she became. It had taken Roberto quite a bit of time to notice it, notice how the simple fact of them, walking together, was enough to draw her out of her walls. Now, he knew the process by heart.</p>
<p><br/>They walked silently through the forest, keeping to the beaten path. It wasn't their first time there. When she had warned up enough, when she was ready, she reached for his hand. He was patient. He knew it took longer sometimes. But when he felt her thin cold hand in his, he held it gently, tried to warm her up.</p>
<p><br/>They never spoke on the path unless necessary. It wasn't a rule either of them had put in place. It had just happened. Roberto didn't seem like it, but he could enjoy silence. He could walk and listen to the sounds of the forest without having to fill the void with his voice.</p>
<p><br/>Eventually, they walked up a steep, rocky climb. Halfway to the top Illyana disappeared off the path and through the trees, her hand never letting go of Roberto's. They walked more, zigzagging between trees, always holding onto each other. They emerged at the bottom of a cliff, hidden amidst the thickets, as far from civilization as imaginable. A single circular pool of hot water occupied the bottom of the cliff. Steam was rising off of it in delicate plumes.</p>
<p><br/>Illyana let go of Roberto's hand but leaned in for a kiss. He wrapped an arm around her, bringing her closer still as they kissed. When they separated, Roberto always saw the same thing in her eyes, a sort of reassurance, a confirmation that her coldness hadn't driven his warmth away. He wanted to tell her that it never would, but he preferred kissing her instead to prove it.</p>
<p><br/>When he let go, she let her bag fall off her shoulders and took off her sweater, hanging it on the low branch of a tree. Roberto too began to undress. Illyana never seemed to care much for her clothes, beyond the fact that they weren't supposed to touch the ground. Roberto was always a bit more meticulous, folding them neatly to avoid wrinkles. By the time he was in nothing but his expensive underwear, Illyana was already in the pool, swimming around.</p>
<p><br/>He climbed into the pool carefully, because he was always afraid to slip on the mossy stones, and that would make for a very stupid death. The water was hot but only uncomfortably so for a few seconds. Soon enough, he was seating against the natural wall of the pool, water up to his collarbone, and letting the warmth sipping in his nervous bones.</p>
<p><br/>Illyana emerged near him after putting her head underwater. Her long blond hair was plastered in front of her eyes, and she had to part them like curtains to see again. He imagined this was what mermaids looked like when they came up to the surface. No wonder so many sailors drowned to get to them.</p>
<p><br/>She swam up to him and climbed onto his lap. He set his hands on her naked thighs under the water. She leaned in for a kiss. He looked up at her with reverence and kissed her back. Her wet hands passed through his hair, and he shivered as he felt drops of water running down his dry neck. She shifted in his lap until she was flushed against him. His hands ran up to her waist, then splayed on her back gently. She pulled back and put a bruising kiss on his jaw. Roberto's breath itched in his throat. When she pulled away, out of breath, he barely gave her a second to take in the humid, hot air of the pond before he started kissing her again.</p>
<p><br/>It wasn't the lack of oxygen that made him push her away gently, though they were both breathing hard when he did. She stepped off his lap and he smiled apologetically at her.</p>
<p><br/>"Just give me a moment to cool off, alright?"</p>
<p><br/>There were steps in their relationship he didn't want to take, especially since she wasn't his official girlfriend yet. And not from a lack of asking. He had asked quite a few times. She'd always said no, with no explanations given, and so after a while, he had given up.</p>
<p><br/>Illyana began swimming away from him until she was in the middle of the pool. There, she floated on her back, staring at the puffy white clouds in the autumn sky. Roberto was staring at her. He didn't want to break the silence, but he could feel the weight of the tickets he kept in his wallet, even though they were in the pocket of the pants he'd hung on the tree.</p>
<p><br/>"Hey, can I ask you something?"</p>
<p><br/>Illyana stopped floating and faced him, standing in the deeper part of the pool where the water reached her chin.</p>
<p><br/>"Do you want to go to the Halloween Ball with me?"</p>
<p><br/>He waited nervously for her answer.</p>
<p><br/>"Why?" she asked.</p>
<p><br/>He vaguely shrugged.</p>
<p><br/>"I don't know, I just... I mean... it's what couples do, I thought... and I figured, you hate buying tickets for these events... so I bought you one... a ticket, I mean..."</p>
<p><br/>His mind was screaming at him that it was a bad idea. That Illyana was going to get angry with him, and she was going to leave him all alone in the pool, and never speak to him again.</p>
<p><br/>"You bought me a ticket?"</p>
<p><br/>"Yeah! But if you don't want it... I mean..."</p>
<p><br/>To his surprise, she swam closer. She came to sit beside him in the shallower part of the pool. She leaned against him and placed her hand on his.</p>
<p><br/>"I guess I'll meet you there. Just don't be disappointed if we don't dance together. I'm not promising anything, just because I'm taking the ticket you bought."</p>
<p><br/>This was a much better answer he could have ever planned. A bright, light feeling illuminated his chest, making him smile goofily.</p>
<p><br/>"Yeah, obviously. I don't have a costume yet..."</p>
<p><br/>"I'll be going as a demon. You can do whatever you want."</p>
<p><br/>"But if I went in as a demon too...?"</p>
<p><br/>"I mean, I can't stop you dressing up however you want."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto smiled. He leaned to the side and placed a kiss on Illyana's naked shoulder. She leaned a bit closer to him, her hand still holding his underwater. A strange thought blossomed in his mind. Someone had once asked him if a tree falling in a forest where no one can hear even makes a sound when it falls. He was very confused by the question. Now he thought he understood it a bit better. If he was alone in the forest with Illy, and he fell in love, would anyone even know? Did Illy know? He wasn't certain. He knew. Maybe that was enough.</p>
<p><br/>He leaned in to kiss her but Illyana pushed herself into the deeper part of the pool. He rolled his eyes. He knew that game by heart. Illyana splashed him lightly and said:</p>
<p><br/>"If you want a kiss, you'll have to catch me."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto was nothing if not ready to spend the rest of the afternoon trying to catch her for a kiss. He pushed himself into the pond and splashed after her.</p>
<hr/>
<p>He was waiting by the entrance of the gymnasium. Behind him, the music was blurringly loud. He could hear every song as if he were already inside. Illyana, as usual, was fashionably late. The rest of their friends were already inside, having fun. He was ready to wait all night, though he really hoped he wouldn't be waiting for her all night.</p>
<p><br/>Illyana arrived on foot, though he assumed she'd been left by her father's private chauffeur close by. She was wearing a knee-length black dress with red bows on it. She had a pair of beautiful dark horns on her head and was wearing bright red lipstick. Her fake nails looked as sharp as daggers, and in Roberto's opinion, only one detail betrayed the fact that she wasn't a real demon. Her crystal blue eyes were still the same. He was wearing a red and black suit, with an even bigger pair of horns. He had opted for sunglasses out of style alone, which made even of an effect when he lowered them, revealing crimson, demonic eyes. The lenses had been a pain to put on, but he thought it was decidedly worth it.</p>
<p><br/>"Damn, you look amazing," he said as she approached, lowering his sunglasses to reveal his eyes.</p>
<p><br/>She said nothing, at first, and they walked side by side to the entrance of the ball. They had put large black curtains over the doors, which led to a dark corridor only lit with fluorescent Halloween decorations. They were walking side by side when she whispered back:</p>
<p><br/>"You look pretty good too."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto smiled.</p>
<p><br/>They reached the end of the corridor. The music was deafening. There was a small group of teenagers waiting there, with a camera set up at the ready.</p>
<p><br/>"You guys want a souvenir picture?" one of the teens asked.</p>
<p><br/>Roberto and Illyana exchanged a look. Roberto shook his head.</p>
<p><br/>"Maybe later?"</p>
<p><br/>"Sure, we're here all night!"</p>
<p><br/>The gymnasium was packed with students from all four years, dressed in a variety of costumes. Classics monsters met modern iterations, superheroes, animals, and all sorts of pop culture icons. Projectors attached to the ceiling danced over the crowd, diffusing colorful lights of spiderwebs on the dance floor.</p>
<p><br/>Roberto took Illyana's hand in his to guide her through the crowd, and she didn't pull away until they'd reached the tables used as a bar. Vice-principle Reyes was standing behind, keeping a watchful eye on the crowds coming and going near the table. It was almost impossible to speak with the music, so Roberto had to lean in to shout in Illyana's ear:</p>
<p><br/>"Do you want anything to drink?"</p>
<p><br/>She leaned closer to him to answer, and her breath tickled his neck:</p>
<p><br/>"Yeah, why not?"</p>
<p><br/>Roberto turned to Reyes and motioned for two with his fingers. He leaned over the table and the many bowls of punch to shout:</p>
<p><br/>"Could I have two glasses, please?"</p>
<p><br/>Somehow despite the music, he could hear Reyes extremely clearly:</p>
<p><br/>"Mister Da Costa, please step away from the table and keep your hands where I can see them. The same goes for you, miss Rasputin."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto leaned back. Illyana crossed her arms, surveying the dancing crowd with what Roberto could only qualify as anxiousness, even though he'd never seen her nervous before. Reyes served them two plastic cups with barely a ladle of punch each, then handed them to Roberto.</p>
<p><br/>"People don't spike punches anymore, miss Reyes," Roberto said jokingly as he handed Illyana her glass.</p>
<p><br/>"You'll excuse me if I don't take the advice to a demon at face value."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto smirked and lowered his sunglasses, revealing his red eyes.</p>
<p><br/>"You're the adult here, ma'am."</p>
<p><br/>He pushed his sunglasses back up and took a sip of his drink. Illyana got a hold of the crook of his elbow, and he followed her without question. They arrived at one of the few tables placed in a far off corner, where Sam was standing. He was wearing an old leather jacket with a fur collar and one of those leather caps with ancient-looking wraparound glasses on his forehead. Roberto wondered how he wasn't sweating all the water in his body with a jacket like this one.</p>
<p><br/>"Hey guys, nice costumes."</p>
<p><br/>He had a plate filled with peanuts in front of him and was eating them one after the other. There were three cups around him, which Roberto imagined meant the girls had hung out with him a bit before going to dance together.</p>
<p><br/>"Where are Dani and Rahne?" he asked anyway.</p>
<p><br/>"Over there," Sam said, pointing in the general direction of the crowd.</p>
<p><br/>It was difficult to make out, but once Roberto had found Dani's bright yellow Winnie costume, he could make out a gray fury cap-wearing person beside her.</p>
<p><br/>"They abandoned you?" Roberto joked. "Do you want some company?"</p>
<p><br/>"No, it's fine. Izzy went to the bathroom."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto and Illyana exchanged a surprised look.</p>
<p><br/>"Izzy? As in Isabel Kane? Captain of the volleyball team Isabel Kane?"</p>
<p><br/>Sam blushed, though it was almost impossible to see in the gym's relative darkness.</p>
<p><br/>"Turns out all I had to do was ask," Sam replied with a vague shrug.</p>
<p><br/>"I guess we'll leave you to it then."</p>
<hr/>
<p>They spent about thirty minutes standing in the same corner, side by side, waiting for something. A small part of the dancers had abandoned the dance floor, either too tired to continue or waiting for a new band to start playing. Roberto and Illyana hadn't been able to speak much due to the noise, but something spectacular had happened. Behind their backs, hidden from the crowd, Illyana had taken his hand in hers. No one could see, but it made his heart flutter in his chest.</p>
<p><br/>He didn't expect much more than this, them standing side by side, listening to the way too loud music. A new band arrived on stage and announced a slow song. Illyana leaned over to Roberto and whispered into his ear:</p>
<p><br/>"I want to dance."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto was stunned. He gave a slight nod and that was enough for Illyana to pull him with all of the other couples on the dance floor. He placed his hands on her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They swayed with the music. He had never been closer to godly perfection than in that moment. When he looked down, he found that Illyana had closed her eyes, as if she were trying very hard to ignore all of the other people around them. Roberto thought about doing the same for a moment, but he found he didn't mind the crowd, so long as he could look at Illyana.</p>
<p><br/>"I want to ask you something but you don't have to answer if you don't want to," Roberto whispered as they swayed.</p>
<p><br/>Illyana opened her eyes to look at him, and a long shiver ran over his body at the sight of them.</p>
<p><br/>"If you want to ruin our only dance, sure, go ahead."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto was hesitant then. Would it be ruining everything? He felt, on the contrary, that this was an appropriate moment to ask:</p>
<p><br/>"Why do you not want to be my girlfriend? Like I said, you don't have to answer if you don't want to," he added quickly. "It's just that, we go on all those dates, and it's like we're a couple, but you don't want to be my girlfriend... I'm kind of confused."</p>
<p><br/>Multiple expressions flashed on Illyana's face. First, nervousness of a different kind which had plagued her all night. Then, annoyance, which he knew so well, and prompted a pang of fear in his chest. Finally, Illyana's features cooled into her usual mask.</p>
<p><br/>"I hate that. The whole girlfriend thing. It makes me feel like I'm a trophy or something. Like you can show me off to people, and maybe when you're tired of me, you can just throw me off."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto had not expected an answer. He'd expected a snarky reply, an 'Everything confuses you anyway' sort of reply. This was raw and delicate. He could hear every word vibrating in his heart.</p>
<p><br/>"Maybe I want to keep it all to myself, and not let other people see us," she continued.</p>
<p><br/>He took her hand in his and made her spin gently before pulling her back to him, and following the rhythm of the music once again.</p>
<p><br/>"I don't know if you've noticed, but there are a lot of people around us right now."</p>
<p><br/>"I thought..."</p>
<p><br/>She fell silent, and Roberto was baffled to notice that she was flustered. He was so used to being the one at a loss for words, he never imagined she could be too.</p>
<p><br/>"I wanted to give you this," she said.</p>
<p><br/>"I don't want it if it makes you uncomfortable," he replied. "I understand, you know? Wanting to keep it all to yourself. Sometimes I wish we could stay at the pond forever. But it's true that other times, I want to scream from the top of my lungs that you're amazing. And yes, I wish I could call you my girlfriend, but if you don't want it, then we can just say that I know, and you know, and that's enough."</p>
<p><br/>"It's not going to be enough forever," Illyana whispered against his shoulder.</p>
<p><br/>"The song is almost over," Roberto said, as he heard the singer's voice died down. "Let's say this was your first baby step to opening up to the world. How did it feel?"</p>
<p><br/>"Honestly? Terrifying."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto smiled down at her.</p>
<p><br/>"But you did it. And for where I'm standing, it's enough for now. Baby steps."</p>
<p><br/>The song ended. Illyana took Roberto's hand in hers and led him off the dance floor as inconspicuously as she could. They brushed past the crowd until they reached a door leading into the main building. They walked past a few rows of lockers, but almost as soon as they had rounded a corner, Illyana pushed Roberto against the lockers and kissed him furiously. Once the locker doors had stopped ringing in his ears, Roberto kissed her back. He placed his hands on her waist carefully so as not to wrinkle her dress. She took no such precaution with his shirt, which she clenched in her fists to keep him close. When they parted and Roberto licked his lips, he could taste her lipstick.</p>
<p><br/>"I didn't want to kiss you in front of all of them."</p>
<p><br/>"It's alright," Roberto assured. "Baby steps, remember?"</p>
<p><br/>Illyana looked around while Roberto brushed the makeup off his mouth.</p>
<p><br/>"I didn't think they were going to leave the door to the school open."</p>
<p><br/>Roberto shrugged.</p>
<p><br/>"I guess they had to give us access to the bathrooms."</p>
<p><br/>A spark of mischief glimmered in Illyana's eyes, one Roberto knew far too well.</p>
<p><br/>"Do you want to help me trash Reyes' office?"</p>
<p><br/>Roberto smiled.</p>
<p><br/>"Only if we can cover every available surface in toilet paper."</p>
<p><br/>Illyana smiled back, grabbed his hand, and led him toward their target. So maybe if Reyes ever found out they were going to be in very serious trouble, but to see Illyana smile like that, it was always worth it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay, but what if we broke away from the stereotypical "I hate feelings they make me awkward around other people" with this amazing new trope of "I hate feelings so I act cold because how else am I supposed to act around other people?"</p>
<p>PS: Dani's Winnie costume was inspired by my younger sister. As we left the theater she began calling Dani and Rahne 'Winnie and Wolfie' andit's adorable.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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